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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! + Sabbath Sunday

This post is dedicated to my mom.

My mom was pregnant for at least 90 months...that's 7 1/2 years out of her life that she spent pregnant. She said that when she was little she wanted to be a nun...or a concert pianist. When I was growing up, she was the organist at church; in fact, she was the whole music department! I remember getting to sit with her in the choir loft during Mass. I remember sometimes it was very hard not to bother her during a hymn if I was up there with a sibling who was bothering me. (I know I never did anything to them first to make them bother me!)

My mom was a mother within a year of becoming a wife. By the time she & Daddy celebrated their 10th anniversary, they had just had their 7th child; I came along 6 months after their 11th. She moved to Tn. after living her whole life in Tx., leaving behind her 7 older siblings and her mom & dad. I can't imagine how hard that was for her; they didn't get back to Tx. often, and phones weren't used like they are now. I'm sure there was a lot of letter writing! And, I think she did depend on their next door neighbor...a lot!

Mom kept traditions that she had growing up and then added her own. I've tried to incorporate not only our family traditions, but also some of the family traditions of my husband into our holidays: From the Alleluia Egg at Easter to all of the baking and candy-making at Christmas. She used to make tons of candy for us at Christmas: She'd have it all made by Thanksgiving, then we would come with our tins and fill them up! One year for Christmas she gave each of us the recipes of all of the candy and cookies she made. We all just kind of looked at each other until she dropped the bombshell: She wasn't going to make that much for us anymore! She was pushing us out of the nest and making us fly on our own!

My mom is an excellent cook, although she credits my daddy with teaching her how to do that. She was a stay at home mom (imagine that!) until I was in high school, then she went back to school to take refresher courses since she hadn't practiced nursing since she & Daddy got married. She worked the night shift at a nearby hospital for a couple of years. I think she stopped working because it was breaking her heart to see the people on her floor in pain.

My mom can sew. She used to sew a lot of our clothes. And, not just our clothes, but our dolls' clothes, too! She also used to do some crocheting. She's been taking art classes for a few years, and is doing great with it.

I have no idea how Mom kept her cool with everything that was going on. It seems like she knew (or thought she knew!) where each of us was at all times. She let us fight our own battles, but she stood up for us when she needed to: There was the time that she had to go to court with one of my brothers because he couldn't make it home to use the bathroom (the bathrooms in the park were locked) and he got caught by a policeman. There was also the time when I was in jr. high that she marched into the office and let the administrators know that the school had no business talking to the students (without letting the parents know) about birth control. My mom is a Devout Catholic with a very high moral code. She & my dad did a great job raising all 10 of us: We've all become responsible, productive adults.

My mom has always been there when I needed her. From being there after the birth of the boys, to when I had gallbladder & knee surgery, to just being there when I needed to talk to someone. She's always there. I am so very, very thankful that God gave me such a wonderful person that I call my mom.

I couldn't end this post without at least mentioning the lady who gave birth to the love of my life! I'm also very thankful that I have such a wonderful Mother-in-law. I couldn't have asked for a better one!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, peaceful, restful Mother's Day!

I'm also linking up with Father Christian over at Blessed is the Kingdom (even though I kinda broke the rule about resting on Sun. by linking up to a previous post! But, I did post last night, so maybe I didn't really break the rule! ) for Sabbath Sunday.

What a beautiful tribute to your mother. I'm sure she must be equally proud of your family--they sound like a great bunch!I've been thinking about you when I've watched news reports about the floods and tornados. Have you been affected by them?

What a sweet post about your mother. I love the way she pushed you out of the nest on the baking! I know how she feels. I actually told my almost 29 yr old daughter and 31 yr old son last night that it's time they take care of Mother's Day & Father's Day. They don't have to take us out to dinner like we did last night, which we always pay for, but come over and cook us a meal!